One of the methods of managing the information processing apparatus as a server is to use a protocol called SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol). In this method using SNMP, the management information for each server managed is called an object which is identified by an object ID (OID: Object IDentification). The server managed has a data base (DB) called a management information base (MIB) for managing the OID in a tree structure. A control manager transmits a management information acquisition request to an agent of each server. When the agent operating on each server receives the management information acquisition request, the agent accesses the MIB based on the OID in the management information acquisition request and acquires the management information on the server with the agent operated and transmits the management information to the control manager. As a result, the control manager can acquire the management information on the server.
In the case where server is managed directly by the control manager as described above, the control manager needs to communicate with each agent operating on each server that is target of management to manage the particular server, however, this is liable to complicate the server management by the control manager.
See [Patent Document 1] Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 7-334445, [Patent Document 2] Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2002-215479, [Patent Document 3] Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2002-14883, [Patent Document 4] Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 11-65951, [Patent Document 5] Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2006-23922.